October 2004 (Volume 16 Number 2) About the Quill


In This Issue

President's Message

Technical communicators aren't called communicators for nothing. They love to communicate by networking. President Opal Gamble talks about new networking opportunities that take place in a social setting. Click to read the Quill Article

View From the Other Side of Sheffield, England

Nancy Halverson gives us more insights into living in Sheffield and working for a new company. Click to read the Quill Article

Technical Communication at an Airport

Find out what it is like to be a technical communicator at Pearson International Airport as it undergoes changes. Click to read the Quill Article

Minutes of the September Council Meeting

Council members meet once a month to make decisions about what will be done in the coming months. Find out what was decided at September's council meeting. Click to read the Quill Article

The Terrible Truth About Tutorials

At September's general meeting, attendees got a lesson in "do what I say and not what I do." Participants tried their hand at various activities to get the user's perspective and to learn how they use tutorials. Learn what you can do to increase the user's chance of success. Click to read the Quill Article

Identifying Ages as Significant User Groups

Age does matter, especially when it comes to picking symbols and graphics to use in your documentation. Just as technology is changing, so are the graphics that you should use when you are communicating about that technology. Click to read the Quill Article

Ask the Expert About Membership Options

With the changes that are taking place within the STC, it's not surprising that some of those changes are affecting our membership options.  Get a quick comparison of the different types of memberships that are available to you. Click to read the Quill Article

Cascading Style Sheets (Part 1)

If you couldn't attend Part 1 of the Web/Telephone Seminars, you'll want to read this article to find out what you missed. Look for details about Part II in next month's issue of the newsletter. Click to read the Quill Article

Upcoming Events

There's a lot of things happening in the next few months, so make sure you read this article so that you don't miss anything. Click to read the Quill Article

Getting a Temporary Visa

Find out what it takes to get a temporary visa from someone who is currently in the process of getting one. Click to read the Quill Article

CIC SIG's First Meeting

You don't have to be a permanent employee to see the benefits of the STC. Read this article to find out what the consultants and independent contractors are doing this year. Click to read the Quill Article

Get Ready: It's a Hurricane

There is a storm going on in our profession. This article tells you what you can do to survive and come out ahead. Click to read the Quill Article

The Editor's Message

Get the Picture

As you can see, we have started including line art of the people who submit articles. This is not to turn people off submitting articles; it is to give people an idea of what contributors to the Quill look like. While e-mail enables me to receive contributions from people in far away places, it also limits my ability to meet the people who are helping to provide the content for this newsletter.  At least with pictures, I have an idea of what contributors look like.

Looking Your Best

If you want to look your best in a picture, even when its line art, there are some basic guidelines that you should follow. Martin creates our line art and he recommends that the picture be:

  • you looking slightly to the left or the right instead of directly at the camera,
  • larger rather than smaller, and
  • close to your face so that the details do not get lost.

Ask the Expert

We would like to introduce a new column to the newsletter. I'm sure that you have all heard the phrase, "There are no stupid questions." Well it's true. Part of the purpose of the STC is to enable members to learn from each other. To help with this process, I am asking both junior and senior members to submit questions that they would like to see answered in the newsletter. We can't answer your questions if you don't ask them. 

Letters to the Editor

We are always looking for feedback about what we have done and what we may have failed to do in the newsletter. The Quill is for your benefit, so it is fantastic when readers take the time to provide us with feedback. The letters from last month also gave me the opportunity to thank the people who helped make changes to our newsletter.

Keep those letters coming!

To print the entire Quill, click here!Send your articles, questions, suggestions, and comments to me, Debbie, at quill@stc-soc.org. 

Creating and supporting a forum for communities of practice in the profession of technical communication